Retourn à Moi
by syzygy13
Summary: Chappie 2 Up! Milly and Meryl are Vash-less for two months, then comes back! But something has to go wrong..right?
1. Prologue

Chicas and dudes..... Bonjour! You people are just great, ya know? Yeah. Well, this is mah first Trigun fic..er.. one with an actual plot and with no song lyrics, and it may be my last. I have *no* idea how long its gonna go on.. Many a math class I have spent putting this on paper.. it was high time to finally write the damn thing on the computer. Its not very long.. Sorta wish it were longer.. But yeah. Okay, I'm listening to Norah Jones.. great stuff, that. So yes. To the prologue, then the ficcy!  
  
Disclaimer: I do.. oh wait.. dammit! What did you say? I *don't* own Trigun? That sucks.  
  
There is a title, right?  
  
Ah. Yes.  
  
Retourn à Moi  
  
Prologue  
  
It had been two months since she had seen him. Those two months were worse than the two years previous he had been absent. She looked out upon the desert and relieved that memory. She was surrounded by the townspeople.. she stood in front of them all.. in front of him. He was bleeding.. beat up almost past recognition. They were going to.. were going to shoot him. She almost had no other choice. So she took the gun.  
  
She had saved him. She saved him.. instead of the other way around. She didn't know at the time.. She didn't realize it was not only to save his life, but because she felt like it was the best thing to do.. the only thing one could have done. She didn't go after his abusers, no, she knew that would have been wrong. And two wrongs never did make a right, did they? She believed in it.. she had to stand up for those beliefs.  
  
"It was something he believed in too.." she whispered to herself, as if nobody was listening. But another sat in the darkened room, staring just as pointlessly out the exact same window at the endless sands. She too understood the pain the other was going through.. to lose one so close. They were lost in the silence of the room, and the second girl started to cry. Soft tears slowly trailed their way down her face, and she wiped them away, pushing aside café au lait hair. She thought of the one she had lost.. she saw him, black hair waving in the wind, giant cross across his back. She cried every night after she lost him. She still cried some nights.. but never as hard as then. She had grown since then.  
  
She still cried.. but the night he left, she didn't cry for herself.  
  
She cried for Meryl.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
That mah friends.. is the prologue. Chapter one shall be uploaded soon, I promise. I'm writing it as I speak! I swear! Its on paper! It needs typed! I love ya all.  
  
RSVP! Review S'il vous plait!  
  
Press the wittle button. You know you want to.. everybody else is doing it! Give into peer pressure!  
  
Til next time.. Roganu-chan, the sophomore who is as of now avoiding homework 


	2. I'm Sorry

Bonjour once more! This is the first chapter of mah fic. I really don't like writing chapter fics.. I'm horrible at keeping with them. But I'm gonna give this one a shot.  
  
In case it was confusing (and it was) last chapter started with Meryl and crossed over to Milly. Just so you guys know.  
  
I hope you guys like it.  
  
Enough with the A/Ns already, eh?  
  
Disclaimer: Roganu no own Trigun. Roganu sad.  
  
Retourn à Moi  
  
I'm Sorry..  
  
Meryl stared out the window. She was always looking out it when she was at home. She still went to work six days a week, one to five in the afternoon, then eight to twelve at night. Every time someone had too much to drink and went crazy, it reminded her of him. Every time she saw a pair of blue eyes, she thought of him. Every time she saw a man pet the stray kuroneko, she thought of him.  
  
There was way too much that made her think of him.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
She put the last of the dirty glasses in the sink in the bar and filled each with tap water, clearing the leftover beer from the bottom of the mugs. She stepped into the employee bathroom and changed out of her ridiculous outfit and into a pair of jean shorts and a white t-shirt. She tucked the tiny black waitress dress into her arm, and grabbed her purse with the other. She walked back through the saloon where she worked, and, Meryl being Meryl, couldn't go a day without incident.  
  
Two drunkards were swinging around their mugs, singing an Irish drinking song. However, Meryl walked unknowingly into the warpath. One tripped over his own shoelace, and fell, beer and all, onto the ground, but not before spilling his fermented drink over the woman.  
  
She screeched lightly and looked at her now transparent shirt. Her cheeks flushed and she bolted for the door. She pushed the door open and ran into the hot sun. She hoped her shirt would dry in the sun as she ran home. However, she accidentally ran into a small patch of shade, which was followed by her small body slamming into a much bigger one.  
  
"Gomen nasai.." she whispered and looked up at the tall man she had run into. She gasped.  
  
He had come back.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"..Vash!" she yelped, seeing the familiar man with tall blonde hair and deep aqua eyes for the first time in one sixth of a year. She looked into those intense pools and felt like her limbs had melted and her mind turned into soup. She couldn't think clearly. All she could do was blink.  
  
Until Vash said, "Hi."  
  
She managed to stutter, "H-h-hi V-Vash.."  
  
"Hey, Insurance Girl!"  
  
Her senses returned.  
  
She slapped him a good one.  
  
"You leave me and Milly here and worried about you for two whole freakin' months and you nonchalantly walk back into town, and then, *then* you have the audacity to call me Insurance Girl?!"  
  
He rubbed his reddened face and smiled.  
  
"Sorry," he sad. "I've just been gone, and well, yeah."  
  
"Some excuse!"  
  
"So where'd you go? What'd you do? What happened?"  
  
"I'll tell you," he said, "after you and Milly come to my hotel room. That's where Knives is."  
  
She froze.  
  
"Knives is.. alive?" she whispered.  
  
He nodded. "Did you think I was going to kill him? I had a hard enough time.. you know." His eyes glistened with tears and sorrow. "Knives is family. I couldn't do that, not even if he has an evil heart."  
  
She smiled. "Of course not." She motioned for him to follow her. "Milly will want to know you're here."  
  
He followed. It was about four, and the suns were at their hottest. She reached up to her forgotten shirt to fan her nick, only to realize once more that the top of her shirt was still wet and very much transparent.  
  
"Damn it," she whispered. "Damn it all to hell." She was walking next to the gunman and brought up her arms to try and hide the translucency of the shirt.  
  
"I was going to tell you about that.. I just sorta forgot.."  
  
"I'm sure." She felt her face turn red. She realized that if he was going to say something about it, it probably meant he had been looking at her chest. How embarrassing.. "You know, you may not live to see Milly again."  
  
He stopped and fell to the ground in a sitting position. He was wrapped up in a ball with his hands over his head. "Don't hurt me!"  
  
She sighed and brought her hand up to her temples, her anger dissipating.  
  
She could never stay angry at him for long.  
  
"Oh get up," she instructed him, walking towards their house. He scrambled up and jogged to reach her. He walked by her side, looked down at her, at her raven hair. She was still clutching her chest in the attempt to hide her wet shirt. She was looking at the ground, and Vash was in no danger of being caught looking at her.  
  
They reached the house soon enough, and as Meryl opened the door, she yelled for Milly; who knew when she got home. But.. she wasn't yet. They had some time to kill.  
  
So she asked him if he wanted anything to eat or drink. He replied he'd like some water, so she went to the kitchen and poured him a glass. She brought it out to the couch where he sat. They sat in silence for all of two minutes.  
  
"So," he said, "how've you been?"  
  
She thought about her answer. "Not bad. Work is going okay."  
  
"You still a waitress?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"That good?"  
  
"I bring home money." She shifted in her seat. She noticed her shirt had dried in the sun, but there was a beer stain on her white top. "I'll be right back," she said. "Don't break anything." She left to go upstairs.  
  
He sat thinking. He was in complete silence for five minutes, and the only muscles moving were his heart and lungs.  
  
She reentered the room, her shirt now pink, her shorts now jean capris. She made herself known and went to brew some chamomile tea. She definitely needed to calm, and that was going to help immensely, as well as anything with aspirin in it. She took the teabag out of the steaming mug and smelled the sweet aroma of chamomile, like warm apple juice. She threw the bag into the garbage and carried her tea into the living room with two hands and sat on the couch, opposite of Vash.  
  
She sipped at her tea, sometimes taking a small peek at the man to her left.  
  
He did the same, and took tiny glances at the woman at his side, farther away than he would have liked.  
  
The door opened, and Milly walked in. "Sempai! I'm home!" she called, but not completely aware of her surroundings.  
  
Milly walked into the entryway and made her way to the kitchen. Passing through the living room, she took notice of the two sitting on the couch in silence, awaiting her arrival.  
  
"Hi Sempai! Hi Vash!" She smiled, and proceeded to walk into the kitchen.  
  
"Vash?!' She yelled, and darted back into the living room.  
  
"Hey, Milly!"  
  
"Sure.. use *her* name.." came a grumbling Meryl.  
  
"Oh Vash! Meryl and I were so worried!" yelled Milly excitedly.  
  
"Really now?" He looked at Meryl questioningly, and she turned her head so he couldn't see her face, which was rather red by this time.  
  
Milly chuckled. "Yup! When we got home from work, I'd meet sempai here and we'd watch for you!"  
  
He flashed a smile. "Thanks."  
  
"So!" Milly exclaimed. "Why're you back, Mr. Vash?"  
  
"If you don't mind, I'd like the two of you to come with me to my hotel room.."  
  
"Why? You can stay here, you know that!" said Milly.  
  
"Well, thanks, but Knives is there."  
  
"..."  
  
"My brother?"  
  
"Oh yeah!"  
  
Face faults on the parts of Vash and Meryl.  
  
"He's alive. He's been unconscious for a few days, though."  
  
"Milly, go start packing." The big girl did as she was told. "We're gonna grab some stuff.. who knows how long we'll be there before we can move Knives here?"  
  
"Er.. the room isn't very big.. two beds, a couch.. Knives has one of the beds-"  
  
"So you take the couch, Milly and I will share the bed," Meryl reasoned, and went upstairs to pack.  
  
Vash stood in his spot, dumbfounded. He figured he better just let the girls do what they needed to do and not stand in their way.  
  
'Especially not Meryl's way..' he thought. 'She'd hit meeee!' he whined in his head.  
  
The gunman could hear the girls packing, the mad shuffling across the floor could be heard from anywhere in the nearly vacant house.  
  
The two girls reappeared suddenly in front of him, a great distance of height between them.  
  
"I forgot how short you were, Insurance Girl!" He placed a hand on her head, which was at least a good foot and a half shorter than his chin. He ruffled her hair lightly.  
  
She froze. He had touched her; messed up her short hair. She tentatively looked up at him. He smiled and turned toward the door.  
  
She just melted. His touch exhilarated her.. she couldn't stand straight up. She wobbled furiously as her legs turned to jello at the thought. He opened the door and walked into the twilight. His action seemed very Vash- ish. Just his good nature.  
  
But in truth, it really wasn't. Well, that's sort of contradicting. Its his nature to everyone.. except her. She was special.  
  
She was still standing there. Milly had passed her, two suitcases in tow. She immediately snapped back to reality when Milly called her name for them to get going.  
  
She walked out to the car, and opened the door. Milly had taken a seat in the back, a suitcase on either side, providing nowhere for anyone else to sit in the back. Meryl took the driver's seat. It was their car. Vas, not wanting to say a word to anyone about seating arrangements, took the passengers seat.  
  
Meryl pushed the key into the ignition. She turned it, and the engine roared to life. Her right foot slowly pushed the pedal to the floor, and the car began to run across the sands. She looked to her right and expected to see the gunman sitting down, glasses on, hair sticking straight up. But she didn't. She saw.. his backside?  
  
"Vash!" she yelled. "Sit down!"  
  
He turned his face to see the driver. "But Milly and I were talking!"  
  
"Get over it! Talk without endangering your life." She had half a mind to smack his back, but decided against it. There was the possibility that she would miss his back.. and well.. hit somewhere else. '*That* wouldn't be good..' she thought.  
  
She turned on the radio in attempt to avoid the goings on in the car. The song had just started, and Meryl knew it by heart.  
  
She started after the first few lines, and belted out the lyrics. They were sung gorgeously.. very powerful, very strong.  
  
"Queen of the night.. queen of the night, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeaahh!"  
  
She got a few strange looks from her comrades.  
  
"Don't make no difference if I'm wrong or I'm right..  
  
I got a feeling and I'm willin' tonight  
  
Well I ain't nobody's angel.. what can I say? I'm just that way!"  
  
Vash looked at the singing/driving Meryl and was stunned to say the least. He had only heard her sing once, and that was softly, as if she barely wanted to be heard. This was a *completely* different side of her.  
  
"I got the stuff that you want; I got the thing that you need  
  
I got more than enough to make you drop to your knees cause I'm the  
  
Queen of the Night! Queen of the night, oh yeah, oh yeah, just say it say it say it  
  
Queen of the night, queen of the night, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeaaahh!"  
  
Meryl smiled as she finished the first verse and chorus. She had accelerated the vehicle, and her short black hair was flying behind her. Her grey eyes had changed color to a deep, excited purple. She kept on singing.  
  
"You got a problem with the way that I am?  
  
They say I'm trouble and I don't give a damn!  
  
Cause when I'm bad I know I'm better.. I just wanna get loose!  
  
And turn it up for you!"  
  
Vash, however, was still sitting in complete and utter awe at the woman sitting next to him and singing like there was no tomorrow. This had to be a Meryl nobody had ever seen before.. she had to be. It was a day for the recordbooks, to be sure.  
  
Then he got an idea.  
  
"I got the stuff that you want! I got the thing that you need!  
  
I got more than enough to make you drop to your knees! Cause I'm the  
  
Queen of the night! Queen of the night, oh yeah, oh yeah, just say it, say it again!  
  
Case I'm the queen of the night! Queen of the night, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeumff-"  
  
She was cut off by Vash's leather covered right hand, which had covered her mouth, and the only singing was that on the radio.  
  
She reached up to remove the hand, and when she had it in her own, Vash separated his fingers and intertwined them with Meryl's. She still had one hand on the wheel, and the car started to veer off course. It was only a ten minute drive to the hotel, and you could see it in the distance on the horizon, a rather pathetic five story building.  
  
Their fingers were still intertwined, her face crimson, his tinted a slight pink. The feel of the leather in between her small, delicate digits was almost sensuous, tickling the skin. She was so lost.  
  
Vash squeezed her hand and brought it down back to the steering wheel and let go. He turned back forward.  
  
"You've got a great voice," he said, "but I couldn't hear myself think!"  
  
She lifted her hand and hit him behind the head.  
  
"What was that for?" He rubbed the back of his blond head.  
  
"What're you doing touching me?" She was tinted red, partially because of embarrassment, partially because she was mad. He had no right to make her feel that way and not know it. It wasn't fair, damn it.  
  
He made her mad. He knew he was going to make her mad, but he wanted to do something. It was sheer hell. But it was nice while it lasted. Even through the leather glove, he could tell her hands were like satin. He wanted to know if her cheeks were the same.. her lips..  
  
He had to stop.  
  
She was driving down the dusty dirt road, the hotel within a minute of driving time.  
  
"Okay, Milly, Vash, we're close," she announced, doing her best to shade her flushed cheeks. She didn't feel very good.. but she couldn't be sick. She wasn't allowed to be. It was against the rules.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
They took the suitcases into the hotel, and Vash led them to the top floor via the stairs. Meryl was exhausted. She carried her bag up five fights, not that she didn't pack light; she was certainly good at that. She was tired beyond all belief, and was having a hard time staying awake. Se stopped at the last step, and sort of wobbled where she stood. Milly, who was behind her, took notice.  
  
"Sempai? Are you okay?" she asked, suitcase in her right hand falling to the step.  
  
Meryl fell. She closed her eyes, and her muscles stopped working. She fell on the floor with a loud thud. Her world went black.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Dun dun dun! Yes. Fun stuff, ne?  
  
This was a long chapter for me.. 8 pages, 12 point Times New Roman, if anyone cares. I've never even wrote a paper this long double spaced! Crazy stuff, ne? By the way, I also don't own the song up there. It's sung by Whitney Houston for the Bodyguard soundtrack.. all I know about it. Yes, well..  
  
RSVP!  
  
Merci.  
  
~Roganu-chan, who was inspired out of procrastination 


	3. Sickness

Hey hey hey! Welcome back to this exciting rendition of Retourn à Moi! Thanks to my reviewers.. Vashies-Girl, Ala, AnonymousTrigunOtaku, chaotic pink chocobo.. You are almighty! You are the reason I am writing this as of now! I haven't had the chance to actually do any writing in my math classes, so this is just at home now. Math is getting evil.. proofs.. are evil. But besides that.. read, enjoy, review ^.~  
  
That is the end of the authors note.  
  
Disclaimer: I.. please don't make me say it.. *her mother, a patent lawyer, motions with a club over the computer* fine. I .. don't own Trigun. But I do have a Trigun manga!  
  
Retourn à Moi  
  
Sickness  
  
"Sempai?!" screamed a shocked Milly as she saw her friend fall limp to the ground. She immediately kneeled to try and help her, but Meryl had fallen unconscious. She placed her hand beneath the raven locks and found her to be very hot.  
  
"Mr. Vash?" she asked, getting his immediate attention. He turned around and saw Meryl's limp body sprawled on the floor, Milly kneeling beside her, hand on her forehead.  
  
He sprinted back and looked at Milly. "Did she just collapse?"  
  
Milly only nodded.  
  
Vash looked at Meryl with concern in his eyes, now a soft turquoise compared to the normal, vital aqua. He brushed aside her hair and placed a tentative hand upon her head. He noted she was burning up, and that they needed to get some ice packs and liquids for her. He slowly picked her up, princess style, his right arm beneath her back and supporting her head, his left arm beneath her legs.  
  
"Milly.. Grab the bags." He took the key and opened the door that could have been mistaken as driftwood. He walked through the makeshift living room and into the bedroom. Knives was unconscious on the far bed, and the bed nearest the door was vacant. He set her down on top of the ugly, white sheets provided by the hotel.  
  
"Milly!" he called as he saw the brunette set the suitcases on the ground near the door of the hotel room. Her head perked and she ran into the bedroom. "Milly? I'm going to pick her back up and I want you to roll back the sheets so we can keep her warm." She nodded dumbly.  
  
He lifted her body up, which was limp and rather light; she couldn't have weighed more than a hundred fifteen pounds. Milly turned back the sheets and smoothed out the bottom sheet for Meryl to lay upon.  
  
Vash set her down lightly on the full bed and brought the recently turned down sheets and comforter over her frail, trembling body. He could tell she was cold.. at least that's how *she* felt. To the touch she was way too warm to be normal. He touched her bangs and lifted them from her forehead, which was soaked with sweat. He got up to leave and make her soup for when she awoke, and he heard her small voice. He looked back, but she was still sleeping, beads of sweat across her face. He dismissed it and left, looking at the ground.  
  
Her tiny voice sounded no more than a whisper, but it was audible to anyone that was listening. She spoke in a long lost language.  
  
"Merci.. Vash.. J'ai été très froid.."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Vash stood over the stove, stirring some tomato soup from a can. It was the least he could do.. Meryl was sick. She probably never got sick. He imagined she had an immune system of steel, but supposed even steel could break. Milly was in the bedroom looking after both Meryl and Knives, but constantly changing the cold, wet cloth on Meryl's head. Her fever was nowhere near breaking.  
  
He kept stirring.  
  
"V-V-Vash-sh?" came Milly's trembling voice from the bedroom.  
  
"Yes Milly?" He kept stirring.  
  
"Your brother.. Knives.. he's.. he's.." She was frozen.  
  
"He's.." he repeated. Then it hit him. Knives was awake.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
*Meryl's dream, first person POV*  
  
I was so cold. It was snowing, and everything was white. And I was in my Bernardelli's outfit- my toes freezing in those damned boots, my legs thrashed by the bitter winds. My only source of some heat was my cape, but it didn't do much. It had to be about twenty degrees below freezing. Like sitting in ice. And it seemed hopeless that I'd ever be warm again.  
  
And then..  
  
And then he came.  
  
He picked me up and wrapped me in his strong, warm arms, and I felt immediately at peace. I.. belonged there. But I couldn't let him know.. I just whimpered softly and tried to sleep. He took me somewhere warmer.  
  
Somewhere *much* warmer.  
  
He covered me in blankets, and I wasn't as cold anymore. But I was still cold. And I wanted him to stay with me, but he left. I tried to speak, but the only words that came were those my mother taught me when I was a small child. It was a language lost, that hadn't been spoken for at least a century, but passed along some families.  
  
"Merci.. Vash.. J'ai été très froid.."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
He walked into the room where the rest of their little ensemble was. He saw Knives laying face up in the bed, sharp eyes of ice open and staring at the ceiling.  
  
"Knives," he stated simply. He made his way to his brother's bed, taking notice of Meryl's steadily worsening condition. He knew she had to get worse in order to get better. He knew that she had to get in horrible condition in order for the fever to break. But he hated seeing her like this. He flinched as he walked by.  
  
His brother lay in bed, silent. He stood over the blond Plant, his only true family. It broke his heart that his only family was his foil- his complete opposite. Why couldn't he see that every living creature had the right to life? He knew that Knives was just bitter that the humans unknowingly exploited his kind.. the other Plants. But now, he had to change that point of view.  
  
"Brother," came his brother's voice in response. "Why.. why am I here?"  
  
"Because after we fought, I bandaged you and brought you here to rest and heal."  
  
"With these.. these.. humans?! Scum.. idiotic spiders.." he grumbled. He squirmed in the bed.  
  
"Yes. With 'these humans,' Knives. I've been taking care of you, and now they're going to help.. or at least Milly will." He motioned to the big girl, who waved at the pair, then turned back to Meryl to change the cloth on her head. He then looked to Meryl, and his brilliant eyes dulled.  
  
"What is.. what is wrong with the other spider?" Knives asked curiously, but without much compassion. He had noticed the woman on the bed, sweating and shaking.  
  
"She's.. she's sick. Very sick, Knives. She's trying to get better.. But her fever hasn't broken yet." Knives could see that he was deeply upset over the woman, but couldn't really say why. He just knew that he had to feel for her pain.  
  
"And.. you care why? She's only a spider. She means nothing in the big picture." He simply brushed off the fact Vash was hurting.  
  
"Means nothing? She's one of the most devoted and kindest people I know! She isn't a mere human; no human means nothing, Knives. They are alive, therefore they should mean something. Even the tiniest ant has his place in the world." Vash was becoming irritated. Already his brother had made his say about humans.  
  
"You don't understand, brother. They mean *nothing*! They are powerless, stupid creatures. It's amazing they even rose this high on the evolutionary ladder."  
  
Vash was about ready to scream. "At least they have a sense of compassion about them! You have no love for anything at all! You'll probably never love anyway, no matter what I say or do.. you don't understand.."  
  
"Of course I'll never love.. it's a stupid emotion. Emotions only block your vision of the real picture. You're the one who's obviously grown numb to their evil ways." Knives struggled to stay up.  
  
"No, Knives. You let the bad interfere with the good. It's been forever since you noticed one good thing about humans- how kind they can be, what amazing cooks they are, and so much other stuff! You never stopped to realize, that even though they war with each other, even though they can be mean, and yes, some aren't too bright, they are like us in more ways than you know. You never took in the fact that they are sentient and alive, and therefore deserve as much of a chance at life as you or I."  
  
Knives laid back down. He couldn't come up with a good retort, so was just quiet as to avoid looking stupid.  
  
Meryl let out a small groan in her fevered sleep. Her head turned to the other side of the pillow, and Vash noticed. His eyes softened at her discomfort, and he walked over and touched the cloth on her forehead. It had long since gotten warm, so he rinsed it in the ice water near the bed and squeezed out the excess water. He folded it and gently placed it on her forehead.  
  
Knives could hear his brother shuffling around the room to serve the spider's needs. He didn't know why.. he had a feeling that it was because she was special to him. How pathetic. To feel for a spider.. a sign of weakness. He should have killed him, but he underestimated Vash in battle. But Vash left him living.. he couldn't understand why.. he probably would have been better off dead than being cared for by his weak brother and a spider.  
  
Vash was continually moving around, trying to keep Meryl as comfortable as possible. He looked over to her occasionally, and could tell she was far from relaxed. He'd give her something to keep the fever down, but it would only break in time. He fixed her sheets and comforter unconsciously, only hoping she would get better soon.  
  
He left the room and cast a glance at Knives, who was on the verge of sleep. He too needed to rest, Vash thought, or he'll never heal.  
  
"Milly?" he questioned, hoping to find the whereabouts of the girl.  
  
"Over here, Mr. Vash!" she said as cheerily as possible. She was on the couch, reading a book.  
  
That was unexpected.  
  
She turned the page and looked at Vash. "Yup?"  
  
"Er.. I'm gonna go out, try and find something that may help Meryl, and then buy some more bandages for Knives."  
  
She nodded. "I'll watch over the two."  
  
So he got up and left. He took about fifty double dollars with him, and went by the drugstore and found nothing in a capsule that could have helped Meryl. He searched through the aisled until he found the first aid supplies, and grabbed some Neosporin and a few new rolls of bandages for his brother. He found an ice pack for Meryl's head and that was the best he could do for her. He paid for them at the front, shoveling out twenty double dollars and receiving five in change.  
  
He walked into the desert path that doubled as a road and stood with the bag at his side in his first two fingers. Across the road, he saw the familiar swinging double doors that symbolized that there was booze inside. Hmm.. alcohol. When was the last time he had a good shot of whiskey? He couldn't remember. And he was hurting.  
  
"I'm due for one. I need to get drunk.." He took those twenty steps across the dusty street and pushed open the two doors into the must of the room. He chose a stool and took a seat, then set his elbow on the bar and called for the bartender.  
  
"For my first act, give me a Gibson." The tender slid it down the bar, and he skillfully caught it in his hand. He lifted the drink to his lips.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Vash stumbled numbly out of the bar, and into the dark road. It was midnight, and he had been drinking all night with the other drunks. He staggered down the street towards the general direction of the hotel where Milly was watching over his brother and.. Meryl!  
  
He had forgotten about her. That was the intention, of course, but he hated himself for it. He had to get back to the hotel.. Meryl needed him there.. so did Knives..  
  
He ran haphazardly towards the hotel and hobbled up the stairs to the top floor and pushed the key in the lock, turned it, and barged into the room, where he found Milly asleep on the couch. Her book was open across her chest, and her mouth was open slightly, her breathing easily heard by the man.  
  
His head hurt like hell, and he realized he forgot the bag of stuff at the bar. He couldn't go back for it now- who knew where he would wake up. He blindly searched for something that may have dulled his pain and quickly gave up and poured himself a glass of water. He downed it like he would a shot and looked for a place to sleep. He wasn't going to sleep on the ground- his head would hurt more than it would if he had a bed, or even the couch. But the couch was taken, unfortunately, and he had to find somewhere to pass out. Knives wouldn't enjoy it much if he had taken residence in his bed, so he strayed away from that idea. And that left- Meryl's bed.  
  
'No.. you cant sleep there.. she's sick, and you might get sick too, Vash.' He stared into the room at her sleeping form, which was curled up in sickness. He figured it would be better than to sleep on the floor and be all whiney in the morning, so he curled up at the foot of the bed, like a puppy, and fell fast asleep.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
When Meryl awoke the next morning, she was so tired and her head felt like it was a hundred pounds. She groaned lightly and looked to see if there was a clock in the room, and found that there was indeed a small digital alarm clock, which said 6:15. She looked to the window and sunlight was pouring in and she shut her eyes in shock. She groaned again, and rolled over to find a very warm lump.  
  
That.. was odd. She opened her eyes once more to see what was there, because her entire left side was warmer then the right.  
  
Vash was shoved over as something moved and rolled back towards him. He was no longer at the foot of the bed, but completely stretched out lengthwise and his feet hanging off the edge of the bed.  
  
Meryl opened her eyes to view the strange warmth, and saw a giant mass of blond hair.  
  
Blond hair? She looked again. Yep. Definitely blond.  
  
So.. who did she know with blond hair?  
  
"Oh.. my God.." She lifted the sheets and saw a familiar long face with a jumbled mass of hair flung upon it haphazardly.  
  
He heard the person next to him speak. His eyes fluttered open, and his aquamarine orbs met dark violet ones. He blinked, and suddenly he remembered.  
  
She screamed, and Knives shuffled in the bed as he awoke.  
  
"What the hell, Vash?!" She groaned as she got up from the bed, clutching the sheet to her chest just in case. "What the hell were you doing in my bed?!"  
  
"Sleeping, if you didn't notice." Her screaming only aggravated his hangover, making his head hurt like mad. He grasped his head. "Don't scream- please."  
  
"Why the hell not? I find you, asleep, in my bed, after I'm sick? What am I supposed to do?!" She was mad. Very mad. And Vash could tell. He needed to do something.  
  
"I came home.. and my head hurt really badly.. and I laid down on the end of the bed so I could sleep off my headache, which is obviously not gone yet, and in my sleep I moved.. you're so small that I guess I just slid next to you and didn't notice.. I swear.. it was completely unintentional.."  
  
She checked she was wearing clothes beneath the sheet, and threw it back onto the bed. She brought her hand up to her disheveled hair and ran her fingers through the raven locks. She closed her eyes and thought about the situation for a second, opened them again and stared straight into Vash's eyes.  
  
"You had better be telling the truth Vash or I will never forgive you. Ever."  
  
He nodded and looked back into her eyes. "You know I'd never do anything like that, Insurance Girl."  
  
She looked appalled. "I should hope to God not!"  
  
He looked at her, smiled one of those drop-dead smiles, and left to make her something to eat. Her fever had obviously broken and she had to be hungry. He took out a pan and opened the fridge, only to remove some frozen bacon. He cut through it and made strips, and let them thaw for about five minutes while the pan got hot.  
  
Meryl stood in the middle of the room, reflecting on what had happened. Every time she played it through her head, the smile was the thing that paused in her mind. She looked at it for seconds, then played the scene again after a mental rewind.  
  
What a sexy smile it was. Must have gotten tons of women to go for him, but then his mouth drove them to smack him. 'Hey, he deserves it,' she thought as she went to the bathroom to do normal morning stuff.  
  
She took a toothbrush and toothpaste out of the front pocket of her bag and immediately went to brushing. Her breath must have been horrific. She didn't even know how long she was asleep. She looked in the mirror and thought herself a complete wreck. Wrinkled clothes, messy hair, and she swore she could see bags under her eyes. She then tried to pat down her hair and make it seem somewhat neater than it was, but decided a shower would probably make her better all around.  
  
She started the water and held her hand under the running tap, waiting for it to get hot. She undressed and folded her uniform into squares, laying them on the counter. She stepped into the shower and just enjoyed the pressure of the water on her skin. She ran the water through her short locks with her tapered fingers and sighed. After five minutes, she decided it might be best to get out of the shower before someone came looking for her. She turned off the water and stepped out, and grabbed a towel, began to dry herself off, and then shuffled her hair through the towel in a sad attempt to dry her hair. She put the uniform back on, and straightened her cape after checking her appearance in the mirror. She touched her face softly, and then brought her tiny hand down again.  
  
Before walking out the door, she hung up the towel and shook her head, making her hair stringy and weighed down, and her bangs hung heavily on her forehead. She walked out into the kitchen, cape trailing behind her. She stepped into the room, and saw Vash using the spatula to flip the cooked bacon onto a plate.  
  
"Oh good!" he said. "You're not going to kill me. Hungry?" He smiled.  
  
Actually, Meryl hadn't realized that she was starving. She hadn't eaten for a while, and her stomach was going to need some food if her body wanted to fully recover. "Umm.. yeah." She pulled up a chair next to the bar and watched Vash set a plate of bacon and toast in front of her. She looked at him, and noticed he was even more attractive when his hair wasn't standing straight up like it was making a point in defying gravity. When his hair was down, it made him look so carefree, so.. lets just get it in the open, just damn hot.  
  
She picked at the bacon and decided to make a sandwich with the bacon and toast. She took bites while sneaking glances at Vash. She ate passively, taking small bites and was very quiet.  
  
Vash took it as a sign that he was allowed to leave, so he went to the bedroom with more food to give to Knives. He had to eat too, you know. He entered the room and set the tray on the table in between the two beds. "Knives," he whispered.  
  
"What *do* you want?" he snapped. "I've been awake ever since that wretched spider screamed her head off because she found you laying next to her, asleep."  
  
Vash noticeably reddened. "I started out on the end of the bed and-"  
  
"I heard it all. Why did you sleep in the bed with her? I mean, the floor would have been not only more fitting, but it would have saved you whatever pride you had left by not getting that close to that despicable human." He finished and quietly went to grab a piece of bacon off the plate brought in by Vash, who was currently failing in his attempt to keep his anger inside.  
  
"So," Knives said again, "It seems you're somewhat attached to this spider- woman. I want to know why." He took a bite of the bacon.  
  
Vash had to think. Why did he feel so attached to her?  
  
"Because.." he began. "Because.. I think she knows that I'm more than just the Vash who is happy-go-lucky, that that's only my façade. I guess she's really compassionate.. she was there for Milly when.. Wolfwood died, and she is almost completely selfless. She works hard for her money. And she's good with weapons. Why that's a good thing, I haven't a clue. But she is. Never misses a shot with her derringers."  
  
Silence.  
  
"Again, why I brought that up.. I have no idea."  
  
".. Yes. Well, anyway. Does she have any special powers? Does she feel for the earth like Plants do? Does she deserve any sort of pity from others because she's been taken advantage of to the point of death by the species that runs the planet?! I don't think so. So why is she so special?"  
  
"Knives.. you don't understand. She knows.. she understands that I'm.. she sees through my mask, and I know others have, but she's the first who's wanted to know what was under it. Others just simply accepted I had a dark side. She was the first to care what was beneath my mask." Vash made his way toward the door.  
  
"I don't think she cares."  
  
"I hope to whatever God there is she does." He took the chance to exeunt.  
  
Milly had risen from her sleep on the couch and was currently fixing herself a bacon omelet with the leftovers from what Vash made Meryl for breakfast. She looked up from the skillet. "Morning, Vash!"  
  
"Morning, Milly. Sleep well on my couch?"  
  
"Oops.. Yes, well I was tired and I had been reading, and you didn't come back for a while after you left to go to the drugstore.." Milly flipped her omelet expertly.  
  
"I got that, Milly." He sat on the stool next to Meryl and looked at her. "Was the breakfast good?" he asked.  
  
"Yes.. the bacon was nicely crisp," she said just above a whisper. 'Stupid.'  
  
"That's good. Glad you enjoyed it." He smiled. "Do you forgive me?"  
  
"Um.. er.. I suppose.."  
  
"Forgive you for what, Mr. Vash?" came Milly's voice.  
  
"Oh.. you were on the couch last night, and I had a really bad headache, and I accidentally found my way into Meryl's bed."  
  
Meryl slapped her forehead.  
  
"Oh." Milly went back to her omelet.  
  
Meryl got up, but before she left, she slapped Vash on the back of the head.  
  
"What was that for?"  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Yay. Chapter two done. I really don't have a clue as to what chapter three is going to be about, but it would be nice to get some ideas ^__^ That means, (for my slower readers) that I would definitely like reviews. Reviews are good. Press le button! LE BUTTON!  
  
^____^  
  
Le button! v 


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